He Comes
by JustADreamAway735
Summary: And every winter since, he visits and watches her blossom
1. Eight

Age 8: "The First Meeting"

After he finished making the last crystallized design of frost in the dusty window, Jack stepped back to observe his work and nodded, thoroughly satisfied at the job he'd done; in all honesty, it may have been his best so far.

With only two hands, a staff, and some time to kill, he was able to transform the tiny kingdom of Corona into a truly magical winter playground. Every inch of the winding cobblestone paths were blanketed in soft, powdery snow, which also dusted the tops of buildings like crushed sugar cubes. Icicles bordered the rooftops, shimmering and gleaming in the early morning sun. No window was left untouched by his frosty artwork, some of which even decorating entire sides of buildings! Don't even get him started on the castle- it was more like an ice palace now, if anything.

As he stopped to rest on a nearby bookstore, cries of excited children rang out in the streets, screaming 'Snow day! Snow day!' while the escaped the confines of their household drudgery or school room. He smiled to himself. Only eight in the morning and look at everything he did! This was definitely shaping up to be a great day.

Or, it _was_ at least, until a crotchety voice screeched out among the snowfall, "Lousy kids, get back inside where you belong! Any of you have a speck of decency in ya?!"

The hunched-backed baker scowled at the lot of them, who cowered under his unfriendly glare. They, of course, would not fight back against him; Mr. Jenkins wasn't exactly known in Corona for having an easy temper.

One brave little girl in a purple hat stepped forward and pleaded timidly, "M-Mr. Jenkins, please, can't we play in this street? We haven't had snow in a while-"

"Didn't your mommy teach you not to talk back to adults?" he snapped. He tapped his chin thoughtfully, and continued, "Oh wait, you're that little girl from the orphanage. Tell that frumpy mistress to spend more money on teaching you rats etiquette than blowing it off on alcohol and ragged clothing. Furthermore-"

One lone tear dripped from her scrunched eyes, outlining her trembling mouth and growing colder with each inch covered. _Ms. Stacy is a nice and kind lady to us! _she silently argued back. But she could never say that out loud to him, of course.

Jack tightly clenched his jaw as he watched more hot tears flow down her chin. "Oh no, you peevish blockhead," he spat. "You are _not _getting off so easily."

He spun his wrists until they were heavy with densely-knitted globes of snow that were filled with ice shards and *cough* _other _things. With a devious grin, he gripped one of them, wound his arm back...and chucked it square in the baker's face.

For the kids, what just happened to mean ol' Mr. Jenkins could either be classified as a) a miracle or b) an invitation for murder. They gasped and shiftily looked at one another, wondering who was stupid enough to anger the forest troll. Amidst their confusion, Mr. Jenkins growled and slapped away the icy shrapnel.

"I will give you **all **until the count of three to-"

Another snowball hit his face. Then another at his arm. Then another, and another, and another, until a whole barrage of snowy bullets was hitting him in rapid-fire motion. When it reached the point that his entire scalp was engulfed in a frozen turban, he yelled in pure frustration and stomped back into his shop, warning them about something or other.

The moment he slammed the door, ecstatic laughter erupted from the children, who ran through the streets and splashed each other in semi-frozen puddles.

Jack leapt from the roof with a smile and gave a deep, exaggerated bow. "And you're all welcome."

The little girl in the purple cap passed right through him.

His smile fell. Jack called the wind and left with an empty feeling in his stomach.

* * *

Jack flew in and above the nearby forest, trying to put his mind on other things.

"There went any chances of having a good day," he muttered to nobody. That's how it always was, talking to nobody. That's how it always was gonna be. Truth be told, nobody wasn't a great conversationalist. That, and neither was the Man in the Moon, who seemed to get a great enjoyment out of keeping Jack in silence.

_Thanks for giving me that one sentence Manny, _he thought bitterly. _That was a great few seconds of speech out of, what, a five years?_

Thoughts like these always brought him to this question: Why him? Why was he condemned to spend the rest of his eternal life in solitude? What did he ever do to deserve this lonely existence? His whole life would consist of nothing else but one-sided conversations and empty glances.

Jack landed next to a waterfall, shutting his eyes and sighing. What was wrong with him? Five years of isolation already passed...he should just suck it up and accept his fate.

A sweet voice-a little girl's voice-echoed around him. Jack straightened up. _What the-Why would a little girl be in the forest?_ He looked down and spotted a single tower jutting out of the dipping valley. _More importantly, what's she doing all alone in the middle of nowhere?_

Curious, he flew down and peeked inside the open window. There inside was indeed an eight-year-old child, completely oblivious to anything but her dancing. She sung a little nonsense tune, twirling in time to her beat. And...wow, she had a lot of blonde hair._ A lot _of blonde hair. Jack gawked at the spectacle. _Well, this isn't something you see everyday, _he thought. She ended her dance and laid down next to an open picture book.

"Oh," she said while flipping through the colorful pages, "if I could give up my voice to see something like the mermaid did, I would do it to see the floating lights!" She paused before adding as an afterthought, "Or snow. I'd want to see snow just as much."

The last statement, so small and infinitesimal, touched him. Unlike other kids, who screamed and whined at their parents for a new toy or something from the candy store, she only wished for two simple, normal things. _She must not get out that much...though I can see why, _he reasoned. And it was the second thing that really got to him; he had had too much snow around him to last a lifetime, yet she believed that there was still something magic quality in it. Even though there wasn't much he could do for those floating lights or whatever, he felt that he needed to give her this one tiny gift.

While her back was turned, Jack lightly stepped inside, and with a quick flick of his hand, made a fresh batch of white powder glide down from the ceiling. She squealed when she saw it fall from above, and some of the emptiness in him was filled. Just a bit. He leaned against the wall and watched her twirl with the white fluff. This child, so bright, innocent, and full of wonder, was happy because of him. Because of _him_. He felt this new sense of purpose beating in him for the first time. He smiled.

The magic of the snow eventually wore off. Jack took this as his signal to leave, which was just what he was about to do had he not been stopped by something else she said.

"Hey mister, thanks for bringing the snow!"

He froze (no pun intended) and slowly turned to face the doe-eyed child. Jack had to gulp before finding his voice. "A-are you...are you talking to me?" She nodded.

"Can...can you...can you see me?!"

The little girl giggled and pulled her hair back. "Uh huh. And thanks for bringing the pretty snow to me. That was a real nice thing to do!"

He stumbled back into the wall, dizzy with this new realization. _Somebody can see me...Somebody can _**_see_**_ me! Somebody finally believes..._A grin danced across his face, and a breathless laugh escaped from his lips. He shot himself high into the sky, for the first time fully embracing the sun's warmth. All of the pent up emotion stored inside was released with a large holler that bounded across the valley. He really did not care how loud or obnoxious he was; someone would hear it after all!

Jack glided back to the window where the little girl was waiting. As he reached her, some anxiety grew inside him. He couldn't be fooling himself that he had a believer...could he? So, as he waited by the ledge, Jack tentatively reached out to brush some of her stray hairs away. He gave the same breathless laugh as earlier when his hand didn't phase through.

She giggled. "Your hand is awfully cold! Don't you need mittens?"

Jack ignored this, not out of scorn, but out of pure amazement. He came off of his high, utterly euphoric and content, and just stared at her. He said softly, "You can see me...Thank you."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Thank me for seeing you. That's a bit funny."

Jack sat down on the window ledge with a rueful smile. "I guess so, but lemme tell you something: you're really special. Do you know that out of all the other people in the entire world, you're the only person that can see me, who believes that I exist? You gave me a bit of hope today, and I have you to thank for that."

Her face fell into a frown. "I don't understand." _That makes two of us_, Jack thought humorlessly. "Why can't anybody else believe in you? You already did so many great things that of course you have to be real!"

This brought up feelings that he'd rather were kept down. But Jack saw the despondent look on her face and automatically drained the acidity in him. He strode over and lifted her chin up. "C'mon now, no frowns. At least not around me, okay?"

"Who are you anyways?"

_Names...that'd be a good idea_. "Jack Frost, specialist in anything winter. What about you?"

"My name's Rapunzel, and I have magic hair that glows when I sing!" For some reason Jack couldn't pick out, she seemed visibly frightened after saying this, as if it were a secret she wasn't supposed to tell. Sure, it was kind of weird, but it wasn't anything to be really ashamed to tell.

_Alright, I'm talking to an isolated little girl-named Rapunzel of all things-who has magical glowing hair when she sings...__Yeah, sounds reasonable enough._ "Okaay. Hey, how's about we go outside this stuffy tower and have some real fun with snow?"

Her scared demeanor only worsened. "Oh no, Mr. Frost, Mother says **never** to go outside!"

Jack rolled his eyes. Parents, ha! He really did not get their strict rules well, this was probably just a phase of motherhood that would eventually pass. Even still, he had to do something for her before he went. Then an idea struck him. "Uh, Rapunzel, where is your mom anyways?"

"Out getting groceries."

"How long is that going to take?"

"Mmm, I'm not too sure. She could be back at any time!"

He smiled an impish grin. "Then we're gonna have to use our time while we can,"

The next few hours consisted of two snowball fights, sledding, making snowmen and snow angels, and many, many raspberries exchanged. (All of this inside, mind you.) They ran around the tower who know's how many times, both of them laughing and having a new type of fun neither ever experienced before; it was the fun of friendship. In the end, Jack tucked a rosy-cheeked Rapunzel in her bed and started to clear the snow away.

_What a day, what a day. Introduced a rugrat to some frosty fun and got my first believer. All the things I've done, and it's not even noon yet. Man, I'm good!_ He heard a stumble from upstairs. _Better check on the little princess._

When he checked in on her, Jack let out a small chuckle. There she was, facedown on the floor and somehow mummified in her own hair, but very much asleep. Snoring, in fact. Jack tucked her back in, feeling a pang in his heart as he knew that he had to leave her. He gently woke her up. "Rapunzel...Rapunzel wake up, I gotta tell ya something."

She rubbed the sleepiness out of her eyes. "Hmm, what is it?"

"I gotta go now, kiddo," he said with a sad smile. "There's other kids in other places that need some winter time too."

Little Rapunzel started panicking,"No, no! Don't leave me!" She lurched forward and gripped him around the neck. "What if I never see you again, or what if no one believes other than me? Please don't leave me here alone, Jack." Small tears flowed down her cheek.

_Why did you have to make this so much harder?_ He slowly retuned the hug and hushed her. "Hey now, even when the sun goes down at night, you still know that it'll come back in the morning, right?" She nodded vigorously. "So don't you ever, even for a moment, think that I won't come back. I'll always be there for you, Rapunzel, even if I'm not here in person. And as for other people, well, you gave me some hope that somebody might have faith in me one day. But if that never happens, I'll always be happy that I have you to believe."

Rapunzel seemed to accepted this, but she was in no way pleased about it. How was she supposed to be? Her friend, her first real friend was going to leave her! She crossed her arms, lips quivering in an unhappy pout. Jack sensed something amiss and added,"Tell you what, how about I come back every winter to visit you? How does that sound?"

"Do you promise? Really, really promise?"

He mock gasped, asking,"Rapunzel, that hurts me. Would I of all people trick you?"

"Yes, yes you would."

He mussed up her hair."So much faith in me, little one. Maybe I would trick you, but I promise before the sun and the moon that I will come back every year. Scout's honor!" He crossed his heart for good measure. "But to come back, I have to leave first. And I really have to go now Punz."

They hugged again, a slow, warm, friendly hug. They would miss each other, but this hug would fill the empty void in the meantime. Jack finally left and went in search for a new adventure, mind still fresh on his new friendship with his little princess. Rapunzel, on the other hand, fell asleep quickly and dreamt of her encounter with her winter prince.

* * *

_A/N: First off, I want to start off by giving much credit to Unicorn101, who has an awesome Jack Frost and Rapunzel fic called "Snowflakes". Seriously, check it out, it's an awesome read and gave me inspiration. Anyways, how was my first fic? Good? Bad? So horrible that you want to jump off of a rocket? Any feeling is appreciated, especially in a review *winkwink* All reviews are much appreciated, constructive criticism even more so. Just no flames. Anyways, thank you everyone for reading! Peace out, and have a happy new year!_

**_A/N (7/11/13): Hey guys, long time no see on this, huh? I just figured that it's been a while since I've visited this story, so why not revamp it now that my writing skills have grown? Yes, I'll be spending some time going back and reposting up these chapters, which'll have fixed dialogue, grammar, description, etc. You get the point. Anyways, even though these updates may be sporadic, I promise that I'll have all of them up eventually. Happy reading, and I'll see you all next update :)_**


	2. Thirteen

Age 13: "The Talk"

Five years later to the day, Rapunzel was quickly finishing up the last of the stitches for Jack's err...present, if you could really call it that. She stuffed it into the brown paper packaging, sighing about how her gift turned out. It had all gone so _wrong_! She'd gotten distracted again, and somehow it turned into _that. _Rapunzel felt so anxious and ashamed to have to give it to Jack, but now she didn't have a choice. Knowing him, she wouldn't have any more time to work on it.

Rapunzel shivered at an abrupt drop in temperature. She closed her eyes for a moment, embracing the chilled air that permeated her dress and gave her goosebumps. With her back still turned to the window, a beguiled smile crossed her features. "You know, you need to work on your 'stealthy' entrances. I can feel you coming from a mile away Jack."

Jack smirked, lazily walking up next to the thirteen-year-old. "Really now?" he drawled. "Because some things you did tell me otherwise. Like how you shivered right when I came inside. I mean, if you were _prepared_ like you said, then-" He was silenced by a bunny punch to his arm.

"Be quiet you." Rapunzel stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at the winter spirit. But a smile slowly melted on her face and she leaped forward, burying her face into his chest and hugging him tightly. "Oh, I missed you so much."

Though her words were somewhat muffled, he understood her perfectly. He gingerly stroked her smooth golden tresses, whispering, "I know, I missed you too kiddo." What an understatement that was. In the few weeks before, Jack was absolutely reckless; he felt pretty bad for the now-buried villages who happened to feel his irritated wrath. But no matter, he pushed that from his mind and decided to worry about it later. Right now was his and Punzie's time.

Jack pulled away with an impish grin and pulled out one small package from behind his back; this one, oddly enough, had holes at the top and seemed to have something very bouncy inside. Rapunzel looked at him with questioning eyes, but he interrupted her before she could ask anything. Right hand up, he said,"Uh uh, no questions Punz. All good things to those who wait." His eyes mirthfully twinkled as a pout settled on her face. "Hey, no pouts! Who knows, with that pout Santa may not bring your present this year." He paused, then added,"It's a good thing, then, that I decided to deliver it early."

Rapunzel gasped when she realized the implications behind what he said. "You stole from Santa Claus?!"

"No no no, of course not! I am merely being a good Samaritan by lightening his load and delivering your present early! Besides, he didn't seem to mind too much. After I 'borrowed' your gift, the only thing he did was give me a _very_ enthusiastic pat on the back." Secretly, Jack still winced every time he twisted his back. No matter what anybody said, that Christmas magic hurt!

Rapunzel snorted and shook her head. The people she decided to become friends with... "So, can I open it now, seeing as Santa might come back soon to get back my 'borrowed' gift?"

He handed her the box, which she opened up eagerly. A squeal bounced around the room as she cradled her present. In her hands was a petrified little chameleon who, in a state of panic, colored itself peach to hide in Rapunzel's palm. After some gentle coaxing from her, the shy creature turned back to its natural green, stretched itself out and looked around, now curious about his new surroundings. Rapunzel giggled and eagerly set him on the floor to explore. She watched him tentatively take steps across the carpet, and was so enthralled by her new friend that she completely forgot about Jack being in the room. When he cleared his throat to grab her attention, she jumped and sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck. "Sorry, I guess I kinda got caught up in the moment."

"It's all good, but I'm gonna assume that you like him."

Rapunzel nodded and sighed as her gaze travelled back down to the carpet. "He's absolutely perfect. He's so cute, and playful, and colorful! I just can't wait for all the fun we're going to have." She gave Jack a one-armed hug. "Thanks Jack, it's a beautiful gift. But it's amazing how you were able to remember that I even wanted a chameleon in the first place!"

He shrugged it off, saying,"Ehh, that's just my pretty amazing sense of memory coming out to play. You, my friend, greatly underestimate me and my skills."

"And you, Jack, also greatly underestimate _me_ and _my_ skills." She wistfully looked at her tiny friend again. "Oh, I just hope that he's going to have babies one day! They'd be so adorable!"

Jack could only laugh at her innocence. "That's going to be a little bit hard, Rapunzel, since he's gonna need another chameleon with him to do that with."

"Why?"

This one-worded question had caught him completely off guard, making him have to catch the breath that had escaped from his lungs. "Wh-what did you just ask me?"

"Why does he need another chameleon? Do they have to do something together?"

Oh God, why did he have to choose then to make a smart-aleck remark? How was he supposed to explain this without freaking out about it first? His face turned warm and he was pretty sure it was an unhealthy shade of pink. Jack had to think of something fast, since she was looking at him expectingly for an answer.

"Punz, did your mother ever talk to you about the, uh...'birds and the bees'?"

She cocked her head in confusion. "Well, they're outside of our tower sometimes, but it's never come up in conversation. But what do those animals have to do with having a baby?"

Crap, this was gonna be harder than expected.

A high-pitched squeak from the carpet caught there attention. Rapunzel quickly left his side, and Jack gave a huge internal sigh of relief. She picked it up and softly cooed to give it some comfort. The poor little reptile, which had been left unsupervised for a good three minutes, was writhing in pain in her palm. It had somehow been able to cross the whole carpet to the area Rapunzel was at sewing earlier, and managed to stab itself on a dropped pin. The hapless thing looked miserable, especially when Rapunzel pulled the pin out. As it was crying, she calmly wrapped her hair around the wound and sung her healing incantation.

_Flower gleam and glow,_

_Let your power shine,_

_Make the clock reverse,_

_Bring back what once was mine._

_Heal what has been hurt,_

_Change the fates design, _

_Save what has been lost,_

_Bring back what once was mine,_

_What once was mine..._

She unwrapped her hair, and the wound was gone! The little thing looked at its appendage, shocked that it wasn't there anymore.

All this time, Jack observed Rapunzel at her work. Even after knowing her powers for two years, it still never failed to amaze him. He thought to himself of how proud he was of her; she was a sweet girl who was blossoming in front of his eyes, and he felt honored to be able to watch it take place. As Rapunzel took to playing with the chameleon, Jack felt a small pang when he noticed that she wasn't really a little girl anymore. Sure, she in no way was a woman yet, but it was in the way she carried herself, the way spoke that hinted at a much older presence. Childhood was definitely behind her, and she would soon be ready to face the adult world.

_And all of the monsters in them,_ a tiny voice inside of him peeped.

And suddenly, Jack wanted to puke when he started to envision all of the horrors a young woman could face. He flew all around the world and was well versed in the atrocities that could befall a woman, sometimes even young girls. It disgusted him, and he would do his best to intervene so those who were victimized would get their justice. Even still, sometimes he would see something too late and those lowlife scum would get away before he could do anything.

He gripped his staff. Could Rapunzel handle herself out there with those dangers always lurking in the shadows? Jack replayed their conversation from a few minutes ago, noticing how naive she was about the world and growing up. Heck, she didn't even know about puberty yet, and she was thirteen! He wouldn't be able to live the rest of his immortal life if something ever happened to her.

_Of course she can handle herself!_, a rather large, drill sergeant-esque voice boomed in his head. _Don't be stupid; she's not some frail, damsel in distress weakling who always need saving. The moment you start thinking like that is the moment she can start living her life._ Jack sighed, knowing that the voice was right, if not a bit harsh. Still, it wouldn't hurt to breach the subject to her...

"Rapunzel, can I talk to you about something really quick? It's important..."

She set down her pet and sat down in front him. She asked sweetly, "What about? Is it about why Pascal needs another chameleon friend to get a baby?"

"No, it's not about th-wait, you named it Pascal?"

"Mmhm, it reminds me of Easter! But what were you saying?"

_Rapunzel and Pascal, two names that oddly fit together. _Jack coughed before hesitantly saying,"We both know that you're growing up and-and there's some things that you need to know."

She was listening intently. "Like what?"

He could feel himself sweating profusely underneath his cloak. This was gonna be a _long _conversation. "Well...your, um, body will start changing. You're going to get taller, obviously, but there'll be some...added weight, if you will, to some parts of you-I can tell you look confused, though. Did your mother never talk to you about stuff like this?"

"No..."

Greaaatt. "Oh. Anyways, for girls at least, some areas are gonna...get skinnier, while other areas get larger. And that's okay, it's natural. It's weird, but it's natural. And it's all different for everybody too, like nobody changes in the same way. Am-am I getting through to you?"

Rapunzel nodded her head slowly. "Yesss, but I have a question. How come you're not changing in that way too?"

"It's different for boys and girls," he chuckled. "Trust me, like a whole lot different."

"Alright, if you say so. But what does this have to do with Pascal having a baby again?"

"I'm getting to that. Anyways, when you're all grown up...some people are going to notice it. They're gonna see you changing. They're gonna like it. And that's dangerous.

"They do...bad things...to some kinds of people. Some of them may seem nice at first, and others are plain mean when you see them. And what they do, they kind of...take advantage of their victims against their victims' wills. And after, they do it again, or leave, or hit them." _Or kill them, _he silently added.

Rapunzel gasped in shock at this new information. "That's terrible Jack! What happens to the people afterward?"

"Well, some of the bad people go to jail, but most of the time they go free because nobody tells the authorities about it. The victims, on the other hand, aren't usually so lucky," he told her with doleful eyes. He really, really didn't want to have to tell her this, but he knew that she had to know.

Rapunzel was nervously twirling her thumbs. "And what does this have to do with me?"

"Well, even though it can happen to guys too, this stuff usually happens to women. Other times, it can happen to girls as young as you." As he saw her panic-stricken face, he quickly countered this by saying, "It's okay, it's okay, I know it's scary to think about, but...you have to remember the good in the world too. I promise you that when you're outside-"

"If I ever go outside," she added ruefully.

"No Rapunzel, _when _you're outside, I promise you that you'll be safe. I'm never going to let something bad happen to you, okay?"

"I mean _if,_ not when. Mother keeps telling me this kind of stuff-the things you've just told me about those people-every day." Rapunzel shook her head sadly. "I'm starting to feel like she's right about it."

"Hey, don't listen to what your mother has to tell you. She's crazy!"

The frown stayed painted on her face. "Don't talk about my mother that way, Jack! Besides, she's _right._"

"Rapunzel, don't you trust that I'd keep you safe out there?"

"Jack, it's not about you. can't you see that I'm scared about going outside? Of course I want to see new things, but there's all this danger out there that can get me. You said so yourself!"

His patience was waning thin. "I only said those things so that you're prepared one day. I don't want you walking around and then have some stranger take advantage of you, just because you're not aware."

"I'm not stupid, Jack!" she snapped back. "I may not know everything like you, but I'm not as dumb as you make me out to be!"

"I'm not saying that you are!" He started to grow frustrated..How couldn't she see that he was trying to help her?

"Could've fooled me." Rapunzel folded her arms across her chest. "And another thing, if you really are trying to help me, try not to be a hypocrite and call my mother insane when you have the same exact sentiments as her!"

Jack felt a blow to his stomach. His voice dropped dangerously low, and he warned. "Don't you ever compare me to your mom, Rapuzel."

"And why not? She knows what's best for me, and she wants me safe! After all of your stories about bad people out there, I'm starting to think that you're gonna lure me into a death trap out there!"

"I'd keep you safe, Rapunzel, and I can't _believe_ that you'd think otherwise! Stop being such a baby and believe that you won't get hurt!"

"Don't call me a baby! And seriously, what you just told be _completely _goes against what you said earlier!"

"Well excuse me for trying to help you!"

Though she was shorter by about a foot, Rapunzel was able to stand her ground against him. Her heated gaze held well against his icy glare, but she eventually relented, shoulders sagging in defeat.

Rapunzel sighed. "I'm sorry. I know you want me to explore Jack, but you can't try and shock me with these stories and still expect me to go willingly. If you want me to really enjoy being outside-_if _I go outside-then you need to give me better reasons to."

His hardened expression softened. "I'm sorry too, it's just...I can't take you out of this tower in the future without warning you first. If I did, I'd only be hurting you in the end. But, you were right too. I shouldn't have 'underestimated your skills'." He gave her a teasing smile.

She returned it and asked him,"Friends?"

"Of course." They hugged it out, and Jack felt a wave of protectiveness wash over him. He promised himself then and there that Rapunzel would one day have the free life outside that she deserved, so help him God. He checked the clock. Noon already. "I'm pretty sure it's time for me to go."

"Wait, there's something I have to give you first!" She rushed over to her work table and handed him a lumpy brown package. Her face was colored a heated crimson, and she looked for something that didn't exist on the floor. "It's for you, and...it's not..it's not very good. I'm sorry."

"I'm sure it's fine..." He pulled it out and looked at it, not really sure what to make of it. "...whatever it is."

Jack held in his hand an odd article of clothing, something that seemed to be a cross of a hooded cloak and a long, yet slim sweater. In the front near the abdomen was a giant pocket, holes on either side for his hands. Tassels laid on the top by his neck area, but he wasn't quite sure what use they would have. Still, the fabric was soft, blue (his favorite color), and had an amazing design of frosty snowflakes adorned all across the shoulder area. It also seemed that it would fit, so that was another good sign.

"I-I know that it's weird and that's because I thought I was working on something else and then I realized that it was the same thing as before so I just continued but if you don't like it then..." Rapunzel started to ramble on and on, clearly embarrassed by her work.

Jack, however, genuinely liked his gift, even if it was a little bit strange. That just gave it some character in his eyes. He put a finger to her lips to silence her and said,"Don't worry, I really do like it. See, I'm putting it on right now!" He did, putting it on in place of his cloak, and it felt rather comfortable. "Comfortable and unique. And I'll think I'll call it...a hoodie. What do you think?"

"A hoodie?" she replied. Rapunzel tapped her chin and remarked thoughtfully. "Well, it sounds nice, and it would explain the hood in the back. But Jack, are you sure that you like it? I mean, it's not exactly the best gift out there."

"You kidding? Of course I like it!" He twirled around in it for good measure. As if he was some fashion designer in Paris, he pursed his lips and added in an snooty voice, "I think I'll market this as my own in Milan, dahling."

She giggled. "Oh stop. But thanks for the talk. I-I'll see you next year, I guess." Rapunzel rubbed her arm shyly.

"With me in this outfit, of course," he added playfully. After exchanging their goodbyes, Jack took off, sincerely not wanting to remove whatever it was that he was wearing.

A new idea struck Rapunzel's mind. She picked up Pascal and told him,"Oh Pascal, since Jack liked that so much, I'm going to make the same for you!"

He turned red and tried to get away, but was unfortunately too slow to do so. Pascal harrumphed and stayed for Rapunzel, simultaneously choosing to loath a certain Jack Frost as well.

* * *

_**A/N 2 (7/15/13): Soo, I'm very very VERY pleased at how this one turned out. This one was probably my least favorite chapter originally, because I had no effing clue how to portray angry emotions and such. But it's better now, which makes me SQUEE! Yay!**_

_**Until next chapter**_

_**-(insert real name here)**_


	3. Sixteen

Age 16: "Story Time"

In his eighth year of visiting the golden-haired dreamer, Jack entered the familiar tower with some confusion. Weird. He was fully inside, yet he wasn't on the ground being tackled by a blonde ball of energy, no high-pitched squeal excited at his presence. The little chameleon who seemed to loath his presence wasn't even there to stick a tongue in his ear! This was a small tower with no easy way to go out; she couldn't be far. _So where was she? _

"Punz?" he called out. "Rapunzel, where are you?"

The only response he got was an extremely hacking cough and a moan.

He rushed up the stairs to her bedroom. Jack's heart fell when he saw the pitiful sight in front of him. Pale-faced and lying under a thin cotton sheet was Rapunzel. Or, somewhat Rapunzel at least. Her normal radiant demeanor was ambushed with gray clouds, raining down hard on what was supposed to be a happy day. Dark rings surrounded her eyes, and bones were more visible beneath her skin than they should've been. Splotches of red burned her nose, cheeks, and forehead. She gave an irritated sigh and rubbed her swollen eyes. Apparently, this just wasn't her day. Another cough racked her ribs, making her shake all over from the force. Rapunzel spotted Jack at her doorway and was about to say something when a sneezing fit attacked. Pascal, who sat resolute at her bedside, sadly handed her a handkerchief. She blew her nose into it and looked at Jack with a weak smile. "Hi."

He forgot her sickness for a moment, only giving her a deadpanned expression. "Hi, really? I come back after one year and all I get is a 'hi'?" He wiped away a non existent tear away. "That hurts, knowing how ill appreciated I am." But he paused, feeling that this wasn't about him right now, and sat down heavily at the foot of her bed. "In all seriousness, though, how're you holding up? You look like death! Scratch that, a friendly version of him."

In a normal situation, she would have slapped him or stuck a tongue out, but here she only shook her head wanly. _That bad, huh?_ "Ehh, could be better," she whispered hoarsely with a faint smile. "My forehead feels like it's burning up, my throat's probably raw, and my chest kinda hurts from coughing and sneezing too much." As if to illustrate a point, another coughing attack came over her. She doubled over from the overpowering force it took, and laid down back in her old position. "But other than that I'm pretty fine."

He cocked an eyebrow, a disbelieving frown etched in him face. "Fine? You're almost as pale as me with a cold and you're telling me you're fine?" Jack hovered over her and placed a hand on her cheek, quickly retracting it and shaking it off. "Ow, you're head really _is_ burning up. Why aren't you-" He broke off, a new thought entering his mind. He asked her slowly,"Rapunzel, where is your mother?"

She didn't give an answer. He asked again, with more force and barely concealed vexation evident in his face. "Rapunzel, where is your mother."

Rapunzel couldn't meet his gaze; she knew exactly how he felt about her mother, as if about a couple thousand rants didn't make it clear enough. "Well, she was here this morning making me a small breakfast. She checked up on me and said that I looked worse than yesterday. So...Mother had to...pick up some medicine in the nearest town to-to heal me more quickly and-"

"So she's not here right now?" he abruptly cut her off.

Internally, Rapunzel groaned and braced herself to what was about to come. "No, Jack, she isn't here right now."

"See Rapunzel, this is exactly what I've been saying! She doesn't really care, I mean come _on_! What kind of good mother would leave their daughter alone when she's sick, even if she's going to get medicine! That's just bull-" He kept ranting, and Rapunzel let him. She was used to it already, or at least more prepared for it than a few years ago. She closed her eyes, grimacing at the memory.

_It was two years ago when Rapunzel was fourteen years old. He had given her a new book about these fantastical animals and plants from around the world, complete with intricate drawings of each specimen. It was an offhanded comment here that made Jack finally hate somebody for the first time._

_She flipped through the pages, saying,"I almost can't believe that all these things even exist!"_

_"Of course they do, what makes you think they're not?" Jack asked with an amused smile. She probably was just shocked at everything new to her._

_But her eyes lowered slightly, lips tightening into a tighter line. "It's just...mother would probably say that they aren't, that it's make-believe like my fairytales...or you."_

_"Me? What are you talking about?"_

_"Well, sometimes I try having Mother believe in you too, but she just brushes it off. She tells me to forget about you and stop being so childish..." _

_"Ah, well, what's one old person not believing anyways? Besides, that thought's stupid!"_

_"Haha...yeah, stupid..."_

_Jack's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Rapunzel, why do I get the feeling that you're hiding something from me?"_

_"Oh, it's nothing Jack, it's just that I...sometimes, I..."Rapunzel couldn't bring herself to finish her sentence._

_"Sometimes you what?" he asked with more push than necessary. Knots twisted his stomach."You wouldn't seriously think about...not believing in me...would you?" She couldn't look at him. He felt like extremely dizzy. "Would you?!"_

_"I don't want to think that way, trust me! But sometimes I can't help it."_

_"Well, it's nice to know that you think I'm only an imaginary friend in your insane bake-believe," he spat._

_Rapunzel threw back a flurry of her own words. "Jack, besides Mother and Pascal, I'm so alone so much for the rest of the year," she pleaded. Her tone turned on the verge of hysterical. "I'm sorry if I get worried that I'm turning crazy and that I'm making you up. Do you know how it feels to be isolated-"_

_"Yes, I do, actually!" He yelled back. His icy blues went wild and jaw clenched shut. Jack slammed his staff on the floor, creating a thin layer of frost on the carpet."I of all people know exactly how that feels! But do _you _know how it feels to have people not know of your own existence?! To have them literally pass right through you?! Do you know what it feels like to want to give up and wonder sometimes why you're even here?! You don't, and you know what? It hurts." He gripped his staff and looked away, fighting back years of cold memories of loneliness. He said slightly softer,"It hurts, Rapunzel. You know, when I first met you when you were eight-years-old, I wasn't kidding when I said that you gave me hope. I really looked forward to see you again, to know that maybe I wasn't so alone out there. Now that I know that I may have been wrong-" He gave a hoarse laugh and shook his head. "Nevermind, I'm out." _

_Rapunzel's lips quivered and she tried to slow down his leave out the window. "Jack," she pleaded. "Jack, no, don't leave. Jack, will you just listen to me?! Can you just-"_

_He whipped around and faced her. His face was a block of stone. "What? What more can you say to me to make me feel like nothing?"_

_It took her a few seconds to form her words. She closed her slightly parted lips and stared at him, a cloud of desperation covering them. "Just listen to me. Whenever you leave, I am so alone for the rest of the year. I never see you except for that one time you come, the same time every year. Mother can't and won't see you, and she keeps trying to convince me that you're just not there. Of course I believe in you, but there's evidence. I'm sorry that my faith wavers from time to time." Her eyes were pleading to him. "I'm sorry. Please...come back inside."_

_Jack was just analyzing her. He knew she was sorry, and that he couldn't stay mad at her anyways. But he was still hurt and absolutely confused as to why she'd even think of not believing! And then it hit him._

_"She's the reason."_

_"What?"_

_"You're mother...she's the reason," he said more angrily. _

_This ended up starting another heated argument, Jack finally knowing the full extent of Gothel's restrictions and cruelty to Rapunzel. He felt like throwing up when Rapunzel couldn't see her own mother's evil. He wanted to just peel her eyelids open and shout exactly what she was missing. He just didn't get it...The argument settled down at a stalemate, yet from that day forward, Jack vowed even harder to have her escape. _

In the present day, Rapunzel quietly laid in her bed while Jack continued to rant and argue every reason of leaving to her. He stopped and was breathing heavily. She looked at him. "Done yet?" she asked simply.

He knew at this point that, yet again, he didn't get through to her. Disappointed, he replied,"Pretty much."

"You know, I still love my mother."

"I know you do." He floated back down on her bed and sat on the side defeated. "So, how're you feeling now?"

"Ehh, not much better. Still feel like I've been caught in a snow storm." Rapunzel said with a coy smile,"Are you sure you're not the reason why I'm sick?"

With an identical smile, he said back,"No promises there. But, you should be pleased to know that I am a specialist in quelling such kinds of storms."

He spent the rest of the morning taking care of her. Well, he did his best at least. Truth be told, Jack hadn't any experience taking care of himself (hey, he never got sick!), let alone anybody else! So everything he did went on instinct, albeit a rickety one. After practically freezing her room to cool her down, he went down to the kitchen to fix her something to eat. _Okay, so the troll under the bridge made her toast and tea, so I guess I'll do that too. _Unfortunately for Jack, him and fire didn't mix well...and he didn't know the first thing about cooking. Oh well, a glass of water and some tea leaves should do just fine for tea. Now as for the toast...He went over to the little alcove that held the wood burning stove, and found that a small fire was still smoking. Just what he was dreading. _Okay Frost, it's just a little fire. You can put in a few pieces of bread inside. Do it for Rapunzel. _He broke off several slices of bread and hesitantly pushed them inside, feeling the heated tips of the flames kissing his fingers. Proud of what he did, Jack swaggered back upstairs with a cold glass of mint-and-chamomile-infused water.

It appears that he did too good of a job cooling Rapunzel's room, finding that his 'cooling down method' had gone overboard. The whole interior was frosted over and Rapunzel-no longer burning up- was huddled under her thin sheet. Pascal wrapped himself in a blanket of her hair, although he was shivering just the same. At this sight, Jack immediately took away the frost, apologizing sheepishly, "Sorry 'bout that, uhh..." He handed her the glass. "Tea...I think?"

Rapunzel accepted the cup, sipped, and pulled away with a bemused smile. "Interesting tea you made. Certainly cooler than I'm-wait." She hesitated, confused, and sniffed (which was rather odd, seeing as she had a somewhat stuffy nose) for something in the air. "Do you smell that? It's like something's burning."

"Dammit." The bread in the oven! He rushed down the stairs and came back a minute later with soot on his face, several coal-looking lumps on a plate, and the rest of the bread. He slumped in a chair next to her bedside. "Well, I failed."

Rapunzel, touched that he at least tried to help, sympathetically patted his back and smiled. "Hey, you tried, which is good enough for me. And I'm doing a little better aren't I?" True to what she said, color had come back to her cheeks and her sneezing and coughing fits had ceased. Her head and body still ached, but she no longer felt hot.

"And don't worry about the bread, some of it aught to be edible still." She broke open one of the lumps and ate the middle section that hadn't been as blackened as the rest, swallowing it unconvincingly.

Jack smiled wanly at her attempts to soothe him. "Thanks Punz, but I already know I screwed up pretty badly."

"It _could've_ been worse. I'd rather not know how, but it could've." She leaned over to his chair, so close that her warm breath tickled him. She whispered,"Thanks anyways, Jack."

He leaned back into his chair, the color pink lightly dusting his cheeks. He cleared his throat and asked,"Anything else?"

"No-well, yes, if your willing..."

For a reason he couldn't place, his heart jumped into his throat as she said that. He laughed nervously, asking,"Willing for what, Rapunzel?"

"Will you sing for me?"

"No." That was where he drew the line. Jack would gladly try his hands at cooking again, or even build another tower for her from scratch, but he would absolutely **not** tell her a story or sing. His very manhood was at stake here, seeing as it already took a big blow!

"Pleeaassseee?" Aw, no, she pulled the puppy dog face on him. Well it just wasn't going to work, not this time. Even if she looked at him with those large, owlish green eyes that lured him in...or if she was...rather disappointed in him...he wouldn't...

"Fine, I'll do it," he mumbled in a dilatory tone. "But I'm warning you, I'm not the bext singer out there."

It just sucked that he didn't really know any good songs. _C'mon Frost, think, think! I'll just have to make one up..._A boy doll separated from a girl doll caught his eye. _Of course, he could use one of those songs. _

Jack cleared his throat and began.

_There's a place for us, _

_Somewhere a place for us. _

_Peace and quiet and open air _

_Wait for us _

_Somewhere. _

Rapunzel smiled into her pillow. No matter what Jack said, he had one of the clearest and most beautiful voices she'd ever heard. She coughed out what little remained in herdry throat and weakly joined in her own verse.

_There's a time for us, _

_Some day a time for us, _

_Time together with time to spare, _

_Time to look, time to care, _

_Some day! _

Jack smiled as she laid her head back down. He took over the rest of the tune as she shut her eyes, singing softly as she drifted away,

_Somewhere. _

_We'll find a new way of living,_

_We'll find a way of forgiving _

_Somewhere..._

_There's a place for us, _

_A time and place for us. _

_Hold my hand and we're halfway there. _

_Hold my hand and I'll take you there _

_Somehow, _

_Some day, _

_Somewhere! _

As the last note faded out, he glanced over to a certain girl's sleeping form and looked down on her with tenderness.

For the first time, Jack came to this realization: Rapunzel was very pretty. Even in her unconscious, sickly form, she was like some the nymphs and fairies he sometimes encountered in the woods. Her full lips, green doe eyes, heart-shaped face, golden hair, and-though he blushed just thinking about it-more womanly physique made his stomach flutter. She definitely was no child now, not even really a woman. She was...ethereal, almost. Even the freckles that dotted her face added to her prettiness. She shifted in her sleep and fully faced him. A content smile lay on her face, and Jack knew she was probably dreaming of a new adventure.

He leaned over and lightly kissed her forehead. "Sweet dreams Rapunzel."

Jack left soon afterwards, feeling a comfortable warmth spreading around him.

The fever he ended up getting was _so _worth it.

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_A/N: Let me start off by first saying how REALLY sorry I am for not updating as soon as I should have. I really shouldn't have left it hanging as it was from the last chapter, so I'm super super super sorry for that. I'll try to update the next chapter as soon as I can :( On another note, thank you EVERYONE for your avid support of this story! You guys really motivated me to keep writing, so thanks so much for that. Special hats off to Raposa12, Heaven'sKnight15, Alchamaddie, CenturysRuin, GKC07NF, darknesslove124, TheAwesomeGilly, Marixia, Lexiful Sunshine, Imortalis Cruor Elf, Besiegn, Aoi24, She Who Dreams of Tomorrow, jpasia92, Fantasy-Mania31, and kaitoukidsama for already reviewing/favoriting/alerting this story! Major hugs and cookies go out to them! But for everyone, whether you've just started reading or have stuck around since the beginning (which, in all honesty, wasn't too long ago) I appreciate each and every one of you. And stay tuned, 'cuz there's gonna be more soon! As always, reviews/alerts/favoriting is much appreciated. Bye! (PS, sorry if the flow is off at some places, the word choice is iffy, or if there's some weird grammatical error. I always seem to notice them after I publish, and I'll try to have them fixed someday.)_

**_A/N: Well, I lived up to my last sentence didn't I? I'm extremely happy that I changed the story telling to a duet, cuz I can definitely picture Jack having a good voice, just not sharing it that much. You guys like the edits? I hope so. Although I'm making these edits to make myself more satisfied, I really just want you all to appreciate the work better Till next time!_**


	4. Seventeen, part 1

"Are they done yet?"

"Not yet."

"...Are they done yet?"

"Not yet!"

"C'mon, they have to be done now."

A certain snowy-haired youth made his way from the window sill over to the oven, determined to have at least one of the delicate treats baking inside. A whirl of golden hair whipped right in front of his nose. Rapunzel was smirking at him from her place on the carpeted area, right next to her puzzles. As if she were talking to a circus animal, she commanded,"Down boy, down!"

He scoffed and folded his arms. "Rapunzel, they've been in there for ten minutes! Just let me see it." Jack made a move forward when the aureate whip tickled his chin again. "Will you stop that?!"

One hand on her hip, the other twirling her thick hair like a lasso, she beamed and proudly stated,"Nope, don't think I will. Mr. Grumpy over here needs to learn some patience and that some things need to be waited for."

"And if I don't?"

Her expression dropped and she pulled down a pan hanging from the wall. "I will use this."

Jack put up his hands in mock surrender. "Ooh, I'm _so_ scared of a frying pan! Especially when I have a magical staff!" He grinned cheekily at her glare and sat back down in his spot by the glass panes. "But, just to amuse you, I'll wait for them. Wouldn't want a concussion from the scary ol' cooking utensil."

Rapunzel smiled in a proud triumph, marching herself upstairs to her room. "Good. Now, as lovely as I am covered in flour, I'm going to change up." She wagged her finger in a feigned stern expression, warning him,"You better not touch those cookies Jack."

"Yes ma'am!" he saluted. Jack waited until she closed her bedroom curtains before creeping over to the oven's alcove. Mmm, he could smell the delicious scent of the cookies wafting in the air. Rapunzel was an absolute genius by thinking of mixing vanilla and mint together. Jack never actually needed to eat, but it was always nice to swipe something once in a while, especially this type. Besides, what fun would it be to have something sweet if there wasn't any sourness in getting it?

Even as he approached the warm mechanism, he paused and carefully listened to any suspicious creaks. Nope, none other than the light steps echoing from her bedroom. Where she was probably still changing, exposing the creamy, peachy skin, ever hidden away from his touch...

_Whoa...where did that come from? _his inner voice wondered. True, he was forever trapped inside an eighteen-year-old male body, so these 'urges' were only normal...right?Jack shook his head, flicking his eyes to the top of the stairs, where Rapunzel was innocently undressing, unknowingly stirring a sweltering warmth in her friend's stomach. He had seen her as nothing but his pretty little friend thses past few years-but now, as he remembered the way she smelled and arched her neck _just so _whenever she laughed, Rapunzel was an absolutely beautiful young woman. And he didn't even see it coming.

Yeah, he _really _needed a break. He wearily walked over to the oven and pulled out the steaming cookies, grabbing a fresh one and munch on it as he plopped himself in a chair. A scent wafted inside of him as he breathed, and he smiled. Whatever that was, it reminded him of Rapunzel's hair, all sunshine and wind when the two barely graced the inside of her tower. He wondered how she was able to accomplish that. Maybe she-_UGH! What. The. _**_Hell._**_ Stop thinking about her like that! No, that's so disgusting, she's practically your baby sister!_

An even tinier, brasher voice chipped in, remarking, "_But she's not, you know. Your blood does not run in her veins. Unless you want it to, of course."_

Before he could think about it any longer, however, a tight belt of gilded hair bounded him to the chair, his arms and waist sore from the lessened circulation. In his disoriented state, Jack saw Rapunzel pacing back and forth. She did not look happy.

"Well well well, somebody went back on his promise." She circled around him like a carcass out in plain sight in the desert. Her lips brushing against his ears, she whispered, "Do you know what that means?"

Her balmy breath made him gulp. "No," he whispered back. "What?"

"It means you have to be punished," Rapunzel stated matter-of-factly. She smirked as she felt Jack shiver; she had thought that her words had done their job and scared the poor boy out of his wits. What she didn't know, however, was that he shuddered because of the way she put an extra emphasis on the word 'punished'.

Rapunzel silently walked passed a confused Jack and brought the whole tray of cookies back with her. She held three of them like playing cards and said,"As the princess of this tower, I believe your best punishment for going back on your promise is for me to eat each of these in front of you. One. By. One."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Try me."

Jack strained against his confinement and rocked his chair back and forth. "You. Are. Evil!"

"Hey, I'm not the impatient one who couldn't wait for some cookies to finish baking. Now, where were we?"

Much to Jack's horror, she leaned into him, shoulders touching and faces at an uncomfortably close proximity. She delicately picked up one cookie and teasingly waved it under his nose. His mask of a scowl fell slightly as she took her first nibble. He gulped. The way she was eating was so slow, so sensual. Rapunzel's apple green eyes innocently looked up at him through thick, fluttering eyelashes. She swallowed and puckered her lips to take another bite. As she finished the first treat, she sucked the tips of her fingers for any remaining sugar, and coyly smiled at Jack. Normally, the heat coming off of her-and, well, _other _regions-practically melted him. A few crumbs stuck to the corners of her mauve lips. Slowly, ever so slowly, Rapunzel's tongue slid out and licked the remaining traces of sweetness away.

As Jack was about to detonate, Rapunzel on the other hand was having a swinging time. _Ha! Serves him right! _she thought. _He seems uncomfortable though instead of angry. I guess he's trying hard not to yell at me for taking what's his. It's pretty sad, but the boy needs his comeuppance!_

The insides of Jack's veins were flooded with a frantic turmoil. After swallowing the last bit of the second one, Rapunzel was only inches away from his lips, close enough that he could count every single freckle that dotted her face. Close enough that, if he lifted his head with even the tiniest of energy his lips would capture hers in a kiss. Too close. Her brilliant eyes met his gaze and cradled it, her lips curling into a sweet smile. Jack's heart had dropped as if the wind suddenly stopped blowing over an ocean and left him to free fall into its watery depths.

His skin itched as he watched her grope the plate for the very last biscuit. _Do something! _his inner voice shouted into a mantra. _Do something! Do something!_

Jack swooped forward and snatched the treat right as the last centimeters were pushing past her mouth; the apex of his lips grazed the edge of her own ever so lightly, a spark of electricity tingling the areas where they made contact. Eyes never blinking, he chewed thoughtfully, swallowed, and mumbled, "Thanks...Rapunzel."

A stunned Rapunzel blinked several times and ducked her head from his icy, fixated stare. Glowing rosy red, she loosened his ties and started to walk away, her hands folded protectively in front of her waist. "Your...your welcome, Jack."

That's when waves of contrition hit him. _Dammit, _**_why _**_did I think that that was a good idea?! She's so upset that she doesn't even want to look at me- and why would she? Who in their right mind would want to face the person who forced themselves on them? _"Rapunzel-" he started to apologize.

"It's okay," she cut in. Rapunzel turned and smiled easily. "Really...it-it's fine, Jack. Let;s just forget about it, I guess...Anyways, there's something that I wanted to tell you. Mother-"

Jack admired the way that time seemed to slow down. Try as he might, he just could not get his brain to focus on anything she said. He was drawn to the fullness of her lips, how her new dress would hug the curve of her waist so becomingly, the way that her feathery eyelashes would kiss her cheeks when she blinked. Jack knew a little about Greek mythology, and he was certain that she was better in every way than Aphrodite herself. He needed to preserve this image so he could paint a mental masterpiece. Of course he felt guilty still for almost ripping her first kiss away, but that tiny nagging was stuffed in the corner for the moment. Right now, the embers from last year were kindling up into a tickling flame that sprinted around his bloodstream. And he had no intention of putting it out.

She looked at him expectantly. "So, what do you think?"

Crap, what did she say? "Mind running that by me again, Punz?"

She rubbed her arm and averted her gaze. "Yeah, I was wondering-you know, since my mother won't be here for the next few days because she's on a special trip, and since it's my first time by myself-if you minded...staying here...with me?"

"I'd love to," he answered without a second thought.

* * *

**_A/N 2 (7/21/13): WHEW! Wow, you guys don't know how glad I am to have edited this chapter! I wanted to change Jack's abrupt forwardness from last time into a curious desire that both him and Rapunzel are scared about; I figured that, since he's never really been in love before, he'd have a hard time coming to terms with it, especially since it's with his best friend who he had known for almost a decade. So dere, me happy :)_**


	5. Seventeen, part 2

Age 17: "Warmth, part 2"

It was late at night (or early in the morning, however you want to view it). As the moon rose over the cool winter night, Jack and Rapunzel were cozily snug up to the other by the glowing embers in the fireplace, absolutely exhausted and in dire need of some rest. Rapunzel, hot coco in hand, sighed in contentment and lolled her head in Jack's direction. He at the moment seemed as weary as she was, head leaned back, and one hand resting on the armchair behind them while the other held a mug of cold chocolate milk. A comforting silence overtook the couple, the only sound being the crackling of the flames. She relaxed her eyes and replayed their afternoon in her head.

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_The sun, which set the once blue sky on fire, began to say its goodbyes as it sunk under the horizon. Jack hovered several feet outside of her window, motioning for Rapunzel to follow suit. The so-called 'princess of promise keeping' peeked outside at the vast new world that laid at her feet. She grimaced, shook her head, and made a move to go back inside._

_Jack's shepherd's cane hooked around her waist and pulled her back. His arctic eyes were observing her skittish ones, and tried to urge them to look at him. Voice barely above a whisper, he asked curiously,"Rapunzel, just what is holding you back?"_

_She peered up at him and saw not an angry glare nor anything scrutinizing. Jack, above all else, seemed disappointed. And that made Rapunzel feel ashamed more than she could ever tell. "I-I don't know. I want to go out, I do. It's so close that I can already feel it, but I guess...I guess that I'm just scared." With an uneasy shrug of her shoulders, her eyes narrowed and she clenched the frame tighter. "No, I'm ready. I can do this."_

_She clasped his outstretched, the two of them gently descending down like the first snowflake of winter. Rapunzel said nothing, only studied everything around her with a hungry curiosity. Even though she knew what everything looked like from her tower above, it all was so magical from this point of view. Every rock, every shrub, even the sky so vast had a new spark in it. She wished she could stay suspended like this forever, to always be floating in this sea of wonder._

_All of a sudden, she felt something cool and moist under her feet._

_Rapunzel looked down below her. Her feet, soft and bare, were standing in tufts of still vibrant, spring-green grass. She wiggled her toes to confirm it, and yes! Her feet! She was standing outside of her tower for the first time ever! This wasn't one of those mid-day fantasies of years past. No, this was actually happening right now, and...she was free. Puffs of frigid air came out in large clouds as she laughed excitedly, laying down in the grass to really relish in this, this freedom! Rapunzel rolled over onto her stomach, burying her face in the stuff, smelling the stuff. Oh, it was so fresh, clean, and really, really- something extremely icy stung her skin all of a sudden. She peered down, and, seeing her feet submerged in the crisp, babbling brook. As Rapunzel let another purely excited laugh slip, she filled her cupped hands with the clear water and tossed it in the air with wild abandon. To her surprise, it cascaded down as snowflakes._

_Jack strolled over next to her, cocking back his extended staff. "So, I take it that you're having some fun?"_

_His only response was her two arms wrapping around him. Face buried into his neck, she said,"Jack this has been," she sighed."I can't even describe it."_

_He hid a grin."Speechless? Then get ready, 'cuz you're gonna lose your voice once I'm through."_

_He set to work._

_The whole valley had been blanketed in a white, cottony quilt. If one were to observe from above, they would see Winter and Spring dancing around and disrupting the quiet snowfall. Jack, who had grown tired of merely running around, had paused from their game and hovered several feet above the ground, a new idea forming in his mind. Confused at the sudden end of their game, Rapunzel turned around to look at him._

_Puzzled, she asked,"Jack, is something wro-"_

_She was promptly cut off by a snowball to the face. Rapunzel, stunned, brushed the ice from her face, asking incredulously,"Why would you do that?!"_

_"That, my dear Rapunzel," he said as he spun up more ice,"is what I call a snowball fight." He let go again, much more carelessly this time._

_She easily dodged it and protested,"But that's not fair, cheater! You're the embodiment of winter, and you can fly!"_

_"I like to call that fully using my skills, not cheating."_

_"Be that way. But this is _**_so_**_ on now." A feisty, determined glint glowed in her eyes._

_"Bring it, Blondie," Jack said with a devilish smirk._

_They spent the next half hour flinging chunks of the powdery snow this way and that, making uneven patches of thin layers of frost and large hills of snow in their playground. They sprinted around at a dizzying speed, Jack practically burying Rapunzel in her own personal blizzard while she frequently assaulted him with a lasso of her aureate hair. Amidst their wintery whirlwind, Rapunzel cried out and stumbled face-first, clutching her foot on the way down. _

_"Rapunzel!" Every thought other than getting to her as soon as possible was erased. Jack rushed to her side, his heart falling when he saw her face knitted with the apparent pain in her foot. Wrapping one arm around her shoulder, the other beneath her kneecaps, he kneeled down and quietly asked where she was hurt. Little did he notice her free hand slowly cupping itself into the snow._

_Rapunzel whimpered and lightly rubbed under her ankle. "Right here. I don't know, I was just running and I just fell and it kinda feels sore. Can you check it, Jack?" _

_He removed his hands and bent down to look at it with closer inspection. Funny, it didn't look red or swollen like he inspected. Instead, it just looked paler from running bare in the snow. _Snow...Wait a second!,_ he thought. Before he could protest, he was shoved head first into his own creation. He shook his head, sending his pearly hair askew, and looked up to see Rapunzel already running ahead of him. _Smart girl, _he thought._ But she is so going to get it now.

_The head start Rapunzel had did little to separate her and Jack for long. Even though she couldn't directly see him, she could feel the wind picking up around her and soon felt tips of ice reaching for her dress. Lungs benumbed by the December air, she breathlessly laughed when he caught her around her waist. Her legs gave out under her, sending the two of them tumbling into a rather large ice floe. Unfortunately for Rapunzel, Jack hadn't faltered in his hold of her; she squirmed and fumbled and pushed, but, unable to escape, eventually fell limp under his strong grip. _

_"Gotcha," he murmured into her ear._

_"I know." As much as she initially wanted to be free of his grip, it didn't feel so bad right now. She sat in between his legs on the ground, her body fully encased by solid arms and his powerful body. She took a moment to _**_feel_**_ and felt comforted by the chill his breath sent down her spine; the frigidity of his smooth, alabaster skin pierced through her clothes and made her skin tingle as if lightning had just struck. _

_"I know," she repeated. Rapunzel tucked her head under his chin. She gasped, nudged him, and exclaimed,"Jack, look at the sky. Isn't it so beautiful?"_

_Indeed, it was beautiful. It was no longer the warm orange of a sunset, but pitch black with ten million diamonds lighting the way. The stars glimmered and sparkled one at a time, making it a real-life light show. Focusing on just the two of them, moon beams illuminated soft rays from the heavens._ Thanks, Man in the Moon, _Jack thought gratefully. He felt Rapunzel shiver slightly and decided to take her back inside. _

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"So, what was it like to live a little?"

"It was amazing!" Rapunzel gushed. "Better than anything that I could have ever dreamt! The grass under my feet, the way the water rushed over me, and the how I _totally _beat you in that snowball fight." She cocked an eyebrow and smirked at him.

"Puh-leaze Rapunzel, that was just a fluke," he scoffed. "If it weren't for you and your 'injury', I would have had a perfect streak. Besides, I caught you in the end didn't I?"

"Whatever floats your boat, hun." Rapunzel went back to sipping her coco, which was cooling down to a tepid temperature.

"But seriously Rapunzel, don't do that to me again, okay?"

She set down her cup and rubbed the back of her neck. "Sorry if I shoved too hard. Mother does say that I can get over the top sometimes."

Jack moved her hand away and looked at her intently. "Not that, Rapunzel. I was talking about when you were on the ground. When you fell, I was actually terrified that you got hurt." His ivory hand removed a stray hair from her eyes and rested on the back of her neck. "I was scared, Rapunzel. Just don't do that again, okay?"

She returned that simply with a bemused expression. "I am sorry about that Jack, I didn't mean to scare you. But you shouldn't have gotten so hung up about it. I was only joking."

"I know," he said with a half-smile."It's just...you really scared me. I just never want to see you hurt, especially if I was sort of the reason why it happened." Jack scooted closer to her blushing form. His heart threatened to kill him with how hard it beat. In an attempt to calm down his breathing, Jack wrung his clammy, sweaty fingers. He knew he was treading in some dangerous waters, opening up so freely to her, but he wasn't planning on swimming back.

"Really?" she asked coyly, snuggling up so close that any space between them was eliminated. "Why's that?"

_Oh God._ Though he wouldn't ever admit it to anyone, Jack felt like dying right there. He peered down and saw her ever-hopeful, springtime eyes asking him for an answer. Too bad he couldn't think of one. Actually, he could think of one...just not the one he'd ever wanted to say. _Just do it. Tell her, Frost._

"Jack?" Rapunzel asked, worried at his ongoing silence.

Jack took a deep breath and finally gazed into her eyes softly. "It's because," he said,"I really care about you, Rapunzel. More than a friend, that is."

Nothing. Nothing was her response. Rapunzel just studied him, lips parted into a small 'o' and eyebrows knitted slightly. She was silent about this news, as if she were dealing with the sudden death of a friend.

Jack felt his soul starting to shatter. Winded, he said frantically,"Now would be a good time to say something."

A small, excited smile grew on her face. "I-I...really care about you too."

What happened next was blurry. Jack's mind had shut down as their heads leaned in. All he could remember was freckles that dotted her cheeks, the smoothness of her skin, and the distinct aroma of vanilla the grew as she neared him.

Foreheads touching, he leaned in and touched his lips lightly to her cheek. A smile ghosted his face as he saw a flutter, then shutting of her eyes, and her lips parting in wonder. Jack trailed along her face, bestowing kiss after kiss along her forehead, cheek, and along and up the sides of her jawline. He paused underneath her earlobe and left a lingering kiss on the sensitive skin there.

She gasped, breathing out,"Jack..."

After laying down a few more, Jack stopped his teasing and faced her. He caressed his hands through her hair, and quickly leaned in before he lost his courage. And, for a few precious moments, the universe stopped. Her lips, petal-soft and tasting sweet as honey, froze under his, but after some encouraging started to meld with him, work with him. Rapunzel's shyness gave way, and she started to move on her own by tilting her head to deepen their kiss. He moved his hands down and rubbed slow circles by the small of her back. Another gasp emitted from her lips, and Jack used this moment of her vulnerability to grip her tighter, press his lips faster and harder against hers. She fell limp, lost in a sea of ecstasy, and began to rake her fingertips down his back. Their kisses melted into a slow, continuous one, becoming more urgent and full of desire as the minutes went by.

But in the back of his mind, Jack felt a guiltiness ringing. A soft whisper was echoing, chastising him for his behavior. It said, _Why are you doing this? You're taking advantage of her. You're being selfish, and are only going to hurt her by doing this. How are you going to pursue a relationship when you're gone most of the year? When she'll age and you won't? Stop this right now, before you hurt her more. _

He pulled away from Rapunzel.

"Something wrong?" she asked, eyes still closed.

"I gotta go Rapunzel," he said urgently. And so he did, without saying another word to her. Rapunzel was left alone, confused at what she could have done wrong, and cried herself to sleep that night.

Little did she know that so did Jack.


	6. Eighteen, Twenty

_Overdue disclaimer: I don't own any mentioned characters; they belong to their respective companies. I only really own the storyline, so...yeah!_

Age 18: "Silence"

Silence. That is all that greets him when he next enters the tower, the December when she was supposed to be eighteen. Jack had spent weeks coming up with something even remotely suitable to tell her; to tell her that the moment he set foot out of the tower, he wanted to rush back in and beg for her to understand. There were so many things he wanted to do, but...he just couldn't. He thought dryly, _I should probably love the fact that I can't say anything, especially since there isn't anybody here to say it to._

Even as he approached her tower, Jack could sense something was wrong. The ivy leaves, normally kept pristine and neat year after year, were trailing up the sides and looked weak and much too overgrown; they formed chunks and bushes near the bottom and swathed the the fortress like a woolen sweater at least to midway. Once bright and fortified, the bricks that formed the pillar looked as if they could easily give way and collapse under the slightest touch. Something definitely was not right here. Jack made his way to the top, calling Rapunzel's name along the way, worsening scenarios filling and petrifying him.

He stepped inside, a resounding silence welcoming him that so chilling that it made him shiver. The room looks as if nothing had been touched since he had last left, the only visible difference being that it had an empty, decrepit feeling to it. He walked around, raising up dust that had long been settled into blankets. Jack peered around the room, squinting in the immense shadows, and called out her name.

"Rapunzel. Rapunzel, where are you? Punz, I need to talk to you, so if you could just come out and see me."

He stopped dead when he stepped on large rivers of brunette hair. Jack knelt down and gave the slightest touch to it, afraid that it could crumble to dust underneath him. Why shouldn't it, considering everything else here is doing the same thing? The softness of it, its strength, its fluidity; he knows instantly that it's her hair. But how? Why? When? These and a million other questions looped in his head at a dizzying rate, sending him sitting on the creaky wooden floorboards, dazed and forehead buried into his palms. He racked his brain, trying to find any plausible explanation for this. Her hair was blonde, he had no doubts about that. But this was a deep shade of brown, cut off from her. Where was she anyways?

A small voice from years past echoed suddenly. Jack started to remember a time when she was eleven and shrank from him when he procured some scissors from a desk. _"Once it's cut," _he remembers her say, _"it turns brown and doesn't grow back."_

Jack slowly looked up, realization dawning on him. He stood up and exited the tower, the corners of his mouth turned upward. So everything back there...that meant she was free. He looked back with a smirk at the dilapidated tower one last time before darting off to newer regions.

Jack had no idea where Rapunzel was at now, but he would search the ends of the earth to find her. And then, right when she was back in his arms, he would tell her everything he left unsaid.

!THE END!

_Ha, just kidding! I can't just leave you guys hanging like that! Read on and finish it below!_

Age 20: "Name"

Two years pass without unfruitful results. Jack knew that he circled the globe hundreds of times, leaving no place ignored, no matter how slim the chance was of her being there. He returned to the kingdom of Corona two years later, the year when she was supposed to be twenty years old. He sent a light snowfall falling amongst the domain, and took a rest on top of the very same bookstore he sat on those years ago, observing the hustle and bustle of the daily routine of the citizens. Not much has changed from the last time he visited; the adults still deal with their everyday business much like they did twelve years ago. The only significant difference he sees is that not as many kids are out to play in his snow. He noticed a vaguely familiar young lady in a purple hat lead a large class of excited children into the bookstore below him, so he decided to jump off for a moment and peek into the commotion inside.

Inside the modest shop, the poor bookseller and the teacher tried to calm the room of crowded, stuffy, rambunctious children without much success. The majority ignored the adults and wandered off to inspect the shop. Jack chuckled, wondering why they thought it would be a good idea to take a field trip for young children into a _book_ shop, and is about to leave when a muffled whistle sounds off inside. He turned around

and practically glued himself to the window at the impossibility of the sight before him.

A young lady, looking a year or two older than himself, stood from behind the counter and moved to an armchair in the center of the room. She was beautiful, having vibrant green eyes and choppy hazelnut hair, and held an athrill smile on her face. She sat down with a bit of difficulty, her swollen, fruitful stomach in the way. Still, the smile never faltered and almost immediately the children gather around her. Jack scrunched up his eyes to look at her every detail. _Could it be...? _There were countless times when he thought he had found Rapunzel, yet it only proved to be a false identity. He had to confirm it up close to make sure that this time it really was for him, however, he ornate script on the window blocked his view, not allowing him to get a better view. He saw her pull out a rather thick book of fairytales and stays, if only just to hear this doppelganger of Rapunzel speak.

An hour passed, and Jack slumped against the frame of the window, intoxicated by the muffled, honey-sweet sound of her voice. She sounded exactly like her, right down to her cute exclamations of excitement. This had to be Rapunzel, he was sure of it. The door opened, and the cacophonous group of children came blaring out to play in the snow. Jack stuck his staff in between the door and its frame, leaving an unnoticeable, one-inch crack open just enough so he can hear what's going on indoors.

"Again, thank you so much for reading to my class, Your Highness," he heard the purple-capped woman say. "It really means a lot to both them and myself."

"It was my pleasure, Rebecca," he heard the Rapunzel doppelganger reply. "I love reading to them, and I can only hope they feel the same."

"Oh, don't worry about that Your Highness. They love it when you read, especially the fairy tales. I can't tell you how many times I can hear them say they love your stories on Jack Frost."

Jack's eyes widened at this news. Stories? He actually had _stories?_ Just like the other Big Four now, he was. Children could start to believe in him...

"I love those stories too. But...I don't like to classify them as stories, though. I've had my fair share of experiences with him when I was younger to know he was real."

"If you say so, Your Highness," the so-called Rebecca replied, voice touched with a slight, condescending, 'pat-on-the-head' sort of tone. Jack grumbled to himself, cursing the cow-teacher under his breath.

"It is," the other woman said defensively. Jack heard her regain her composure, and asked,"But if you please, Rebecca, instead of Your Highness, I'd like you to call me Rapunzel."

The news winded him. Finally! After two long years of searching for her, this is where she was, literally just out of his reach! Jack felt like he was submerged in a well-earned bath after trudging through miles and miles of a bitter blizzard. The aching emptiness and worry were finally healed. He knew he had some explaining to do, but all of that could be overlooked for the moment. Jack wanted to yell-no, scream enough to lose his voice at the joy that consumed him, but he knew better. Better keep it a surprise for her.

Speaking of surprises, one thing he picked up in their conversation really got him. Rebecca had addressed Rapunzel as 'Your Highness'. So, that meant...Rapunzel was royalty? _Huh, guess she wasn't kidding when she called herself a princess. _He snickered to himself, wondering what kind of trouble she could've gotten into to land herself with royalty. Jack made a mental not to ask her later, and turned his attention back to the women's conversation. Apparently, Rebecca was a bit hesitant to address the princess so informally.

"Your Highness-"

"_Rapunzel_," the princess stressed. "Call me that, please? For me? I don't call you 'Ms. Wilson', do I?"

"I wished you did," the other muttered under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" Rebecca hastily replied. "It's just...wouldn't it be more appropriate for Mr. Fitzherbert to call you by your first name, Your Highness?"

_Mr. Fitzherbert, who's that?_ An uneasy dread bubbled in the pit of his stomach.

"Well, Eugene _is _ my husband, Rebecca," Rapunzel replied with a small giggle.

Jack didn't stay to hear any more. He flew off with the wind that carried himself to somewhere, anywhere but Corona. As he left, he turned back and saw a heartbreaking sight: Rapunzel was lead out by another man, and kissed him eagerly. No qualms were felt by Jack about the heavy sleet he caused before casting Corona out of his sight.

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Later, he finds himself in a dark, heavily wooded area, someplace he isn't too familiar with. He lands on a rickety, active pub and ponders unemotionally up at the moon. Why did the Man in the Moon curse him as being a damn immortal spirit? That could have been him with Rapunzel. _They_ could have been the one's married, _they_ could have had _their_ baby, _they _would have been together like that! But most importantly, they would have been together...

He kicked a loose stone from the roof and slammed his staff down. Damn it, why him? That other guy that she married, that is. What was so special about that guy anyways? From what he saw, he wasn't especially handsome, nor was he very tall. Jack smirked humorlessly as he remembered what his name was. Eugene Fitzherbert? Fah! Rapunzel really knew how to pick 'em. He was thankful for the moment that that was his name and not something attractive, like Flynn Rider or whatever. That would have just added more salt to the wound. Right now, he wanted to kill that guy for ever coming into her life in the first place.

Jack sighed and shook his head, the realization kicking in. She moved on without him. Rapunzel was no longer a child, the child he befriended years before. A husband and a little one had been added to her in the span of two years, not to mention the control of an entire kingdom! She had a new life now...one that didn't include him. Besides, this was pretty much his repayment for leaving her. He knew they couldn't be together, and he was exactly right. Now, this is what happened as a result. He inclined his head on a low-reaching branch and stared into the dark oblivion. He couldn't and wouldn't be in her life, not now. He probably was nothing to her now, a single sentence in her life story. Jack couldn't just barge in unannounced after three years and expect open arms, or even a greeting from her.

Would she even remember him?

He shut his eyes and made a new promise to himself: he wouldn't intrude on her life. As much as he didn't want to, he would leave her alone.

The rounded door of the pub opened, revealing one thug that were about to leave and another seeing him off. One was especially ugly, with an obtrusive nose and grotesque features, and the other merely looked dangerous, as he had a hook for a hand. With nothing really left of importance for him to do, Jack silently spied on their dull conversation. Dull, that is, until Rapunzel's name was brought up.

"So, did Rapunzel come in earlier while I was gone," Mr. BigNose inquired.

"Yeah," Hookhand replied casually. "She's getting pretty big now, what with the been baby growing for a few months now."

"Yeah? How much longer 'till it's out?"

" Dunno, four-ish months I think."

"She tell ya what it's gonna be?" BigNose asked as he started to walk away.

"Ehh, yeah," Hookhand said with a casual shrug. "A boy I think. She told me that if it was, they'd name him Jack. Something about an old friend, or whatever. It kinda looks like she got it from those stories she wrote by herself. You know, the ones about that Jack Frost spirit. I don't know, that's just a guess."

The two thugs exchanged goodbyes and parted, unknowingly also leaving a silent third member on the roof.

"She still cares...," he whispered to nobody. A little louder and firmer, her repeated,"She still cares!"

Jack laughed a semi-crazed, disbelieving laugh. So he wasn't just 'nothing' to her. He meant enough to her that she wrote a book about him, would name her own flesh and blood after him! He settled back down, and with a thump, rested his head on the twisted tree bark. The dull ache in his heart wasn't totally gone, but was lessened to a degree that he didn't care anymore. Jack was still a part of Rapunzel, so she still had to be a part of him. He determinedly made a new pact to himself, not totally disregarding the one he made minutes before. No, he wouldn't directly be a part of her life, but he was hell-bent on making sure that he would be there for her _and _her family. Jack promised that while he wouldn't barge in, he would make sure that he was there to support them, protect them, and bring small, precious moments of joy. He calculated the months until her son's birth, a devilish smile planted on his face.

That Easter, which, coincidentally, had been the birth of Rapunzel's son Jack, was blanketed in an unprecedented snowfall. She cooed her baby in her bed, utterly exhausted, yet proud just the same. The rest of Corona was heavily under a blizzard of snow, yet a light fall was all that was seen up by the palace. She smiled, knowing exactly who could have miraculously made it Christmas weather in April.

"Thank you, Jack."

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_A/N: First I want to thank everybody once again for reading and reviewing my story so far. All the reviews that I've seen have touched me in one way or another, and I'm SUPER sorry for not giving any shout outs like I did for the second (?) chapter. I personally feel like that was a beezy move of me, so shoot me (not literally) if I don't give everyone a nice shout out in the A/N in the last chapter. Speaking of which...It's been a not-so-long journey, yet the end is nigh! That's right folks, the next chapter will be the very last one of 'He Comes'. This being my first multi-chap fic ever, this is really saddening for me, but also uplifting in a way. I'm happy and grateful that I've made it this far into the fic, one that was originally going to be a very long one-shot. Anyways, thanks for all the support, and brace yourselves for the last chapter, which is coming soon. BYEE! 3_


	7. The Future

Ten Years Later

Jack landed on the soft, budding grass of the palace gardens, silently staring at the monument in front of him (which was much too small in his opinion).

It was hard to believe that she was gone.

A cool breeze ruffled the leaves of the surrounding garden area; a special square section of the bush maze was set aside just for her, adorned with all of her favorite flowers and other trinkets made by her children. A slanted, marble plaque lay engraved on the ground. It read:

_Rapunzel_

_Our wife, mother, and friend_

_Our Sunshine that will never end_

_Rest in Peace_

"Hey Rapunzel." His voice was strained. "It's been a while. I'm doing pretty good, still bringing snow days around the world. You should have seen it, though, when I made a blizzard come down on this one town in the desert." He laughed and ran his fingers through his December-white hair. "You would have loved it, the way the adults were freaking out, scared, and how the kids _literally_ dropped everything they were doing and ran out to play. It was great!"

Jack chuckled for a moment more, and then lowered his gaze. "You really would have loved the fun the kids were having, though." Another breeze whistled in the sunny, wintery air. "You know, I miss you, Rapunzel."

Jack thought about yesterday.

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_The moment the winds whispered the news to him, he immediately dropped his 'Blizzard in the Sahara' project and tore across the desert, ignoring the blistering heat that scorched his skin. Something was wrong on Corona, and he had to get over there as soon as possible. _

_An hour later, he landed in the palace, darting and glancing from room to room. His heartbeat quickened. The castle was eerily quiet as if its inhabitants transformed into silent ghosts. Where was everybody? He started to think of possible explanations when a sudden cry of a young child pierced the air and lead him to the gardens. Jack raced over to the origins of the wail. He froze, lowering himself slowly to the ground when he saw exactly what the child was crying about._

_Open and fully visible to the onlooking crowd was a marble casket. Rapunzel was inside of it._

_Standing behind a creaky, wooden podium, a priest gave a speech about the late princess. Apparently, fatal illnesses were just common among the royal family, especially among the women. This time, no cure could have saved the princess, not even the magic of a healing flower._

_Jack started to stumble back into a cement pillar, but tripped over his staff and was sent flying head-first into the cold ground. He didn't move from his spot. Rapunzel...no, no no no no, she couldn't be...she wasn't...No, she was so young, so full of life, she had a family! She couldn't have left them already! No! He wobbly stood up and had the wind take him away from there as fast as it could. Jack couldn't even lay to be there. He would come back tomorrow, when everything would be normal. Lies, filthy, dirty lies they all were. _

_Before leaving Corona out of his sight, he cast back one last glance to the sobbing procession. Her children- ten-year-old Jack, eight-year-old Lily, and precious, four-year-old Eugenia- were weeping into their father; poor Eugene was grim-faced, and looked to have aged considerably. Jack shook his head. If this was a lie, then they were all such convincing actors._

_The drizzle of sleet left in his wake was very befitting of the occasion._

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Jack opened the eyes he didn't know he had shut, and anchored himself against his wooden rod. His sigh shook his whole body. "Rapunzel, I am so, so sorry. I didn't mean to leave all those years ago- I mean, I did leave on purpose, but I didn't want to, believe me!" He winced as he started to say what was next. "The moment I left the tower, I wanted to come back in _so _badly...but I couldn't. I knew I couldn't come back to you, because if I did...I'd love you. If I did, I would have protected you, loved you, gone and jumped off a cliff if it would have made you smile!"

Jack rubbed his throbbing temples; it pained him to say this more than he could say. "I wish I could have done that, but...that wouldn't have been fair, to either of us. You were going to age, and I wasn't. And I would've left you for most of the year because I'm, well, me! It just wouldn't have worked out between us in the end.

Anyways, I'm happy for you. Wait, no! That came out wrong! Of course I hate the fact that you're not here! I just meant that I'm happy for your life, that's all. You left behind a great life, I hope you know that. Your husband, even though he isn't as good looking as me, I could tell he really loved you. Scratch that- loves you. And I'm pretty sure he always will. And you're kids, wow! They're beautiful kids, amazing too."

Jack stood by himself, no support from his staff. Every trace of emotion was wiped clean from his face now. No anger, no grief, no frustration. He didn't feel anything. He was empty. "They're lucky though, to have had you as a wife and mother and be able to see you again one day. I guess, since I'm pretty much bound to stay here on Earth forever...this is goodbye. I hope you know that I'll always love you, and I already have and will always watch over your family." He gave a small, sad wave to the plaque, and started to rise in the air. _Well, time to go, I guess..._A flash of chocolate waves turned the corner of the hedges. _Or maybe not..._

Little Lily ambled over to her mother's monument and laid down a book. She brushed a stay lock of her ankle-length, chestnut hair and sat on the grass saying, "Hi mommy. It's Lily, but you probably knew that. I love you and really miss you. But Grandpa told me that you weren't sick anymore and if you're better now, then I guess that's okay. Oh, and Daddy says to be strong just like you, so I will!"

Jack came back down, intrigued by Lily. She was so much like Rapunzel, it was scary.

"See this book." She pointed a chubby finger to the thick book next to her. "I'm gonna read it to you. That's the book you read me and Jack and 'Genie cuz we all liked it and you liked it too. Especially the one about Jack Frost. You said he was your friend and that he was really nice and protected you. I hope he's doing that now, wherever you're at. And don't worry, even though Jack doesn't believe in him anymore and 'Genie's too little to get the story, I still believe in him!" She crossed her arms proudly across her chest. "I really, really, hope he comes one day so that we can have adventures just like you did. If I could have one single wish for the whole year, I wish he would come and play with me and tell me stories about you guys when you were little!"

"Wish granted, mademoiselle."

Lily whipped around and gasped, widening her owlish jade eyes at the spirit coming closer to her. Her mother's eyes, they were. "You're...you're..."

"Jack Frost," he finished with a cocky smile. Maybe he wouldn't have to fully say goodbye after all.

Somewhere above them, high and hidden amongst the white clouds, an ethereal figure floated. Her hair, which was previously chopped to a rich brown, was grown to a waterfall of gold. A halo of a matching color rested above her. She looked down and saw her young daughter and her immortal best friend laughing and playing hide-and-go seek in the garden maze.

With her hands clasped together by her chest, Rapunzel whispered gratefully,"Thank you, Jack."

And she smiled, knowing that he would visit for years and years to come.

Fin

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_A/N: And it's done! Little note before I go on a rant: I hope it was kinda clear that Jack never really left Rapunzel and her family alone after little Jack was born. Like, he didn't barge in and make his presence known, but he would be there for them when he visited every year or whenever he heard that they were in trouble. Maybe I should fix that...Anyways, I want to give a HUGE thank you to all those who have visited my story, reviewed, favorited, and alerted as well. I love you all for doing so! Seriously, without you guys I probably have been less motivated to write, so you guys really inspired me to keep going. Virtual cookies for all! I have to say that after having a humongous writer's block on this last chapter, I'm thoroughly satisfied with it. For being my first multi-chapter fiction, I'm really proud of it. But, that doesn't necessarily done. Sorry, that doesn't mean a sequel if anybody was thinking of that. I just meant to say that there is A LOT of editing/fixing that I'll eventually get to. Anyways, I'm planning on getting to a few more Jack/Rapunzel fics, so be sure to stay tuned for that! Oh, and shoutouts for everybody who alerted/reviewed/favorited this story thus far! Thank you guys so much!_

_Favorited:_

_4 nin no densetsu, CenturysRuin, GKC07NF, GiinA JonaS, Heaven'sKnight15, Immortalis Cruor Elf, JustHereForDaLulz, Kasugano Kanako, Lexiful Sunshine, Mapletreeway, Marixia, Sweetmichelle00, TheAwesomeGilly, WaterbendingWitch, darknesslove124, shadowandmoon, and winter winds._

_Alerted:_

_0oSilveryBlueo0, 4 nin no densetsu, Aoi24, Beisiegen, Cry-Pom, Fantasy-Mania31, GKC07Nf, GiinA JonaS, IcyLou, Immortalis Cruor Elf, JustHereForDaLulz, KasaiHitokage, Kasugano Kanako, Lexiful Sunshine, NekoAmi1216, Penelope Jadewing, She Who Dreams of Tomorrow, WaterBendingWitch, chabeat, dragonbird23, im-incognito, jpasia92, kaitoukidsama, princess yuei, and puppiescute a.k.a. Mic Mic_

_Reviewed:_

_nina sakurai, JustHereForDaLulz, puppiescute a.k.a. Mic Mic, ann, Daniella Violet Moon, Amanda Gutierrez, jasmine, Fantasy-Mania31, Kasugano Kanako, CenturysRuin, Alchmaddie, Heaven'sKnight15, Raposa12, and several Guests._

_And also, shoutouts to everybody (and I mean everybody) who has read this, whether it had been when I first posted or just started today! Again, thank you so much for your continued support! I hope you've enjoyed _He Comes, and have a nice day! :)


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